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Exposing myself

It’s ok, don’t panic. I have all my clothes on. I wouldn’t do that to you, nor shame my kids in that unforgivable way.

The ‘exposure’ refers to what happened in my week. I have had to examine my own life and feelings this week as I realised I was feeling very vulnerable about two things which happened…

Firstly, I decided to put my own Lifeline on the front page of the site for the world to look at – the reason for this was not vanity, by the way. Far from it, hence the vulnerability. It was because I wanted to be sure that our ‘brand’ message was clear. This website is about saving memories, it’s about nostalgia, and family. It’s also about looking back and laughing at yourself, and then thinking about creating your own personal time capsule for your kids to discover in years to come, and laugh even more…..

The sample Lifeline on the site was previously a set of ‘news’ items, designed to show you how the timeline works without invading anyone’s privacy. But it didn’t really help anyone understand the emotional connection between the user and their lifeline, nor evoke those feelings of times past, and sweet nostalgia (or even grimacing embarrassment).

So, the most obvious thing to do was put my own lifeline up there. Clearly there are events and details which I have chosen to keep private – this is a standard function of the site, but mostly I think it helps to see a normal person leading their normal life, with their normal kids and happenings. I hope you agree!

The second big exposure came when I started to tell lots of publishers about the site. I wasn’t expecting it to be such an intimidating feeling, inviting professional people to critique your work and browse your website, but the more I wrote, the more I realised that I was opening myself up to strangers.

It’s a learning curve.

For more terrible pictures of my progress from childhood to middle age (via Lady Di apparently), check out the sample Lifeline on the site at www.saveeverystep.com